Cruise’s ‘Valkyrie’ Suffers (Another) Setback
Posted by David Onda Categories: MGM, Drama, Period, Political, Thrillers, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases, Short FilmCrunch,
Tom Cruise’s World War II thriller Valkyrie has suffered yet another in a long line of setbacks while filming in Germany. Apparently, a batch of nighttime footage shot a couple weeks ago has been deemed unusable after the negatives were developed in the wrong chemicals. Adding insult to injury, the footage was shot at the German Defense Ministry which had resisted granting Cruise (who executive produces) permission to shoot in the first place. The Ministry houses the spot where Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (played by Cruise) and his conspirators plotted to assassinate Adolf Hitler. The footage will need to be re-shot, and the Ministry has already granted re-entry.
Click to continue reading Cruise’s ‘Valkyrie’ Suffers (Another) Setback
Read More 
| E! Online
Advertisement
Marvel’s ‘Thor’ Script Gets Thumbs Up
Posted by David Onda Categories: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Filmmaking, Scripts, Upcoming Releases, Short FilmCrunch,
Comic book fans rejoice! The long-dreamt-of big-screen debut of Marvel’s Thor has just gotten one step closer to becoming a reality. As reported by The Guardian, director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) and screenwriter Mark Protosevich have just finished the script for the mighty hammer-wielder’s movie this past week. In ever better news, Vaughn says Marvel has already approved it. They did, however, have one tiny issue:
“My phone has just rung. Marvel loves the script. The only problem is that it has been costed at $300m and they ask how I am going to reduce it by $150m. I think I prefer being asked what it’s like working with De Niro.”
One hurdle cleared – another $150 million hurdle to go.
Read More | The Guardian
Update: ‘Hitman’ to Remain R-Rated?
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, Action, Adaptation, Religious, Thrillers, Rumors, Upcoming Releases,
Yesterday, we reported that the upcoming Hitman film, based on the eponymous videogame franchise, was to be re-cut and cleaned up to achieve an MPAA rating of PG-13. Well, it looks like the folks over at TwitchFilm have received an official response from a PR representative over at Fox.
It seems that, while Nicholas De Toth has been brought in as a consultant on the film, director Xavier Gens is still involved. Fox also assured us that Hitman will remain R-rated, despite the rumors.
It would be nice if Fox just came out and told us what exactly is going on, but let’s face it—Hitman is based on a violent videogame, and Fox would probably do well to give people what they expect. And besides, I’m already tired of this story …
Read More | TwitchFilm
Lindsay Lohan’s Release from Rehab
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Drama, Romance, Casting, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip,
After some well-publicized hijinks, Lindsay Lohan has left Cirque Lodge Treatment Center in Utah for her rehabilitation. Lohan spent two months at the facility after another DUI charge put her in rehab, the actress’s third stint. Following a reconciliation which occurred during Lindsay’s stay, her father Michael Lohan helped her pack her bags for her release. Lindsay is going back to LA to begin shooting on a new movie, Dare to Love Me. She’ll also continue receiving outpatient treatment from a Cirque-affiliated facility in the city. Her father Michael says Lindsay is approaching sobriety with more confidence this time. While at the facility, Lohan was photographed participating in activities such as river rafting, hiking, biking and yoga. She also participated in a work-treatment program, stocking shelves at a supermarket. Lindsay’s earnings all went to charity.
Read More | Yahoo! News
Good News for ‘Star Trek’ Fans
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Paramount, Science Fiction, Casting, Rumors, Upcoming Releases,
Okay, I’ll admit it: I’m a Trekkie. I try not to take it to a dark place; I’ve never dressed up in costume or downloaded Enterprise schematics online. I do know what the ‘T’ stands for in James T. Kirk, and admit I’ve avidly watched every episode. Ever. So I, like many Star Trek fans out there, feel pretty stoked about the new movie. And more information is coming out of the galaxy every day. Eric Bana will play a villain in the flick, which is set for a Christmas 2008 release. So far, news on the film is good for Trek fans. Leonard Nimoy has given the film his approval, which is said to focus on Spock – and that all sounds very promising to Trekkies of all kinds.
Review: Lars and the Real Girl
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: MGM, Drama, Independent, Romance, New Releases, Upcoming Releases, Theatrical Reviews,
Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling) is a shy but amiable man yearning for love in a world he has trouble confronting. When he finds the woman of his dreams on the Internet, Lars emerges from his funk and proceeds to introduce his new girlfriend to friends and family. There’s only one problem: His new sweetheart is a life-size, anatomically accurate sex doll, and Lars has convinced himself she’s real. With love and concern, family, friends and other locals resolve to play along while Lars undergoes surreptitious mental evaluations.
In August, I made a prediction about an upcoming film called Lars and the Real Girl. The educated guess was part of a sporadically written column I write called The Preview Review, where I watch new trailers, look at who’s involved and try to speculate as to the film’s commercial and critical success. Here’s what I had to say about Lars:
Well, I was largely correct in my assertion—not too impressive, admittedly—but I did walk out of the theater with some caveats. Read the full review after the jump.Prediction: Lars and the Real Girl will be a simple story with deep, complex characters, awkward comedy, and unconditional familial support. It will be on par with the fantastic Little Miss Sunshine, but with one great bonus—Ryan Gosling.
Click to continue reading Review: Lars and the Real Girl
R-Rated ‘Hitman’ to be Sanitized
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, Action, Adaptation, Religious, Thrillers, New Releases, Rumors, Upcoming Releases,
CHUD is reporting that the Hitman movie, based on the popular videogame series and starring Timothy Olyphant as divinely inspired assassin Agent 47, will be recut to achieve a PG-13 rating. Allegedly, Twentieth Century-Fox believe the film to be too violent and have removed director Xavier Gens and brought in Nicholas De Toth to oversee the new cut.
In an emerging pattern, De Toth also stepped in to censor the recent Live Free or Die Hard, which, as you may know, was the first of the franchise to obtain the lower rating (note to self: go back and watch anything edited by Nicholas De Toth and consider what it could have been).
With little over a month before its release, a rushed Hitman could—if in fact it was kick-ass—become another videogame adaptation that just isn’t as kick-ass as its source material (see Mortal Combat and Street Fighter).
UPDATE: New information has surfaced regarding this issue.
Read More | CHUD
Worst Movie Titles of 2007 (So Far)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Adventure, Drama, Family, Period, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Lists,
This weekend’s Joaquin Phoenix/Mark Wahlberg flick has been driving me batty for weeks—and I haven’t yet seen the film. I don’t even have a problem with the trailer. The movie simply suffers from a horrible case of crap-title-itus.
We Own the Night? Could that be more vague? Instead of envisioning a cops vs. mafia film, all I can see is the now-defunct (yet great) soap opera Edge of Night. And while I understand the film’s title would be explained if I actually watched it, that doesn’t excuse it’s existence. The box office shelf life for movies is extremely short these days; more attention should be paid to the little things. I’m an extremely shallow person who often judges books by their cover. I need a proper teaser.
And believe me—‘craptitleitus’ does not discriminate. Great movies, movies actually worthy of attention, often become victims of this affliction. Poor marketing can affect anything and everyone.
So to honor We Own the Night’s crap-status, I’m going to list my Worst Titles of 2007 (thus far).
Click to continue reading Worst Movie Titles of 2007 (So Far)
In Theaters This Weekend (10/12)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Magnolia, MGM, Lionsgate, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Yari Film Group Releasing, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Period, Comedy, Sports, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- Elizabeth: The Golden Age (PG-13): starring Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush (directed by Shekhar Kapur)
- The Final Season (PG): starring Sean Astin, Larry Miller (directed by David Mickey Evans)
- Michael Clayton (R): starring George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson (directed by Tony Gilroy)
- We Own The Night (R): starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg (directed by James Gray)
- Why Did I Get Married? (PG-13): starring Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson (directed by Tyler Perry)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend (10/12)
‘Thundercats’ Movie Finds a Director in O’Flaherty
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Science Fiction, Scripts, Upcoming Releases,
Last month, FilmCrunch told you about some up-and-coming movies based on classic cartoons; one of the more exciting endeavors just edged closer to fruition. H-O-O-O-O!
Seasoned videogame art director Jerry O’Flaherty—best known for his work on such games as Gears of War, Unreal Tournament 3 and Command and Conquer—will cut his directing teeth on the big-screen, computer-animated adaptation of the classic 80s cartoon Thundercats. O’Flaherty recently told Variety why he has what it takes to bring the idiosyncratic cartoon to the silver screen:
“It feels like a natural thing for me to step into. Games have come so far now. The last four years of my life have been about bringing the energy of filmmaking into the videogame experience”The creative but often repetitive (everything’s fine; bad guy lures good guy into trap; good guys save the day, thwarting bad guys; it all ends with a moral and a good laugh) television show followed a group of feline/human hybrids fleeing from their destroyed home planet Thundera. Upon their arrival on Third Earth, the Thundercats are met with unclear opposition from the immortal Mumm-Ra and his gang of other … animals resembling humans.
The script, penned by Paul Sopocy, will focus on the leader of the Thundercats, Lion-O, as he grows, trains and comes to lead the crew. IMDB has the project listed with a 2010 release, but at this point no further information has officially been released.
I may be crazy, but I’m really looking forward to this movie. I was a big fan back in the day and gave the series a second glance after its DVD release—a move that ultimately caused my inner child to cry as I asked him, “What the hell were you thinking?!” But the cat-campy animated series will likely share success with the other recent 80s revival Transformers, which relied on a fan base of twenty- and thirty-somethings with heretofore disillusionment and low expectations.
Mediocrity, H-O-O-O-O!
Read More | Variety
Advertisement
© Gear Live Media, LLC. 2007 – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.